From Brick and Mortar to Print on Demand: One Entrepreneur's Story

Three years ago, Wendy Jo Davis, the owner of a furniture and home decor shop in New Jersey, was at a breaking point. Mother’s day was fast approaching, and she had been working tirelessly to hand-make dozens of orders for the big day.

As she declined several last minute orders, Davis knew there had to be a better way to create quality products with less money, time, and energy. Alas, she discovered print on demand: a way to outsource the production of customized products.

“We have five kids, and it got to the point where I couldn’t enjoy Mother’s Day,” Davis said in a zoom call. “So I started researching Print on Demand and what it took to be successful. I found that if you make a good enough product in a small enough niche, people will buy.”

Davis and her husband eventually closed their physical shop and transitioned entirely to an eCommerce store. 

Two pillows Davis designed for her shop. Click here to design your own!

Getting started online proved to be difficult, since paid tutorials overshadowed free resources. Once her business gained traction, she decided to share her wealth of knowledge.

“I started my own [educational] YouTube channel because I was tired of all of the scams,” Davis said. “It’s hard enough to start your own business without having to spend money to learn how to do it.”

Davis’ YouTube channel hosts dozens of free videos about designing products, generating passive income, social media management and print on demand.

“My best piece of advice for someone starting out is to take action,” Davis said. “People research so much and never try anything. The beauty of Print on Demand is that it doesn’t take a lot of time to just put it out there.”

She and her husband now live off passive income from various online revenues. One major source of cash comes from selling pillows, candles, and tees from Printed Mint.

“We love to travel and thanks to print on demand, we’ve been able to do that,” Davis said. “Last year, we moved to Florida for a month to see our daughter get married. As long as you have internet access, you can maintain your business.”